1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming system, particularly to a technology compatible with an event which occurs in an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Background Art
In a known conventional image forming apparatus, a user is notified when a problem relating to an operation performed in the image forming apparatus frequently occurs. For example, an image forming apparatus which counts the number of errors such as a jam at a pickup roller of a sheet cassette and the like, judges that cleaning of the pickup roller is necessary when the error number reaches a predetermined number, and notifies a warning message to the effect that cleaning should be performed to the user by means of a display unit has been proposed as such an image forming apparatus.
However, in the case of the above conventional image forming apparatus, a warning message is notified to the user after an error such as a jam actually occurs in the image forming apparatus. That is, in the case of the above conventional image forming apparatus, a warning message can be notified only after an error such as a jam occurs at the pickup roller many times.
Since respective image forming apparatuses on a network differ in executable performances in some cases, even if a certain image forming apparatus obtains information such as an error number at a pickup roller from another image forming apparatus, this information is not necessarily useful in the image forming apparatus having obtained the information and this image forming apparatus cannot necessarily accurately deal with operations and events which can occur therein.
Further, in the case of the above conventional image forming apparatus, notification is made by judgment on the importance of the occurrence of a specific event based only on an occurrence frequency of this event in the image forming apparatus. Thus, it is required to further increase accuracy of judgment as to whether or not an event having occurred is important as against the conventional image forming apparatus.